


Two Sides

by Gertrude_Perkins



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Laundry, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 05:42:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14442600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gertrude_Perkins/pseuds/Gertrude_Perkins
Summary: Just a little one shot I wrote this morning showing two different sides of Robert.It's set just after the reunion, with no mention of kidnapping or Liv's story - it's just about Robert and his relationship with Aaron.





	Two Sides

‘2 pints please, Mum,’ Aaron told Chas as he stood at the bar. He was in a really good mood.

Robert had moved back into the Mill a couple of weeks ago, and Liv, Chas and Paddy had all been surprisingly ok about it. He supposed that they’d all known really that their reunion was inevitable. Since that night when he’d poured his heart out to Robert in the garage, everything had been going well. He turned round to look at Robert sitting at a table and grinned at him – no-one could deny that as a couple, they were just meant to be. 

Now they were having a drink before going out for dinner. It would be their first date night since getting back together – Seb was with Rebecca, Vic keeping an eye on them both, and Liv was staying at the Woolpack with Chas.

When Aaron took the drinks over to Robert’s table, Robert had been joined by Vanessa, and they were deep in conversation about something. It warmed Aaron’s heart to see his man so happy, able to have fun with people who loved him, after all that time feeling miserable with the Whites. 

‘What are you gossiping about?’ Aaron asked as he sat down.

‘Oh just some creep chatting me up when he brought his dog to the vet’s,’ Vanessa said. ‘I was telling Robert, I told him I had a girlfriend and he asked if he could join us…’

Aaron screwed his face up. ‘Ugh, that’s gross…’

‘Yeah… unless he was fit, was he fit?’ Robert asked with a straight face.

‘Robert!’ Vanessa exclaimed indignantly, and Aaron groaned. 

Robert shrugged, grinning. ‘I’m just saying…’

‘Well he wasn’t bad looking actually, but he was a twat, obviously,’ Vanessa said. ‘Anyway, I don’t think he’d have wanted you joining us, Robert, he was more into women…’

Robert looked smug. ‘Please,’ he said, ‘he should have been so lucky…’

Aaron put down his pint and stared at Robert. ‘Wow,’ he said. ‘You really are pleased with yourself today, aren’t you?’

Robert laughed and put his hand on Aaron’s knee. ‘Come on, Aaron,’ he said, ‘just look at me. I could turn anyone if I wanted to, we all know that…’

Aaron couldn’t help but grin at this cocky bastard that he loved. The cheeky way Robert’s tongue was poking through his teeth as he smiled, along with the glint in his eye told Aaron that Robert was revelling in being outrageous, pushing to see what Aaron would let him get away with. Aaron couldn’t deny it, Robert’s arrogant attitude was turning him on…  
Vanessa rolled her eyes. ‘Give it a rest Robert, not everyone has such a high opinion of you as you do yourself…’ 

She glanced at Aaron and Robert. Neither of them was listening to her, but they were grinning like idiots, their eyes locked together intensely. They looked as though they were about to rip each other’s clothes off and start going at it on the table.

Vanessa stood up. ‘Anyway, I’m off…’ she said to no-one. As she left, she looked behind her to see that Aaron was holding Robert’s face in his hands, and kissing him passionately…

 

________________________

 

(Two days later)

Robert looked out of the back door at the sky. There were a few black clouds out there, but it was sunny for now, and breezy. He decided to take a risk and hang the washing outside.

Since moving back in to the Mill, he’d been doing a lot of laundry. Seb was spending most of his time there now, and obviously he created baskets of dirty clothes, but there was also Liv and Gerry as well as he and Aaron. Although Robert had told Gerry to do his own washing, his stuff had a funny way of sneaking into the communal washing pile.

Robert took the basket of clean clothes out to the garden and started to hang them on the line. He took a certain pride in handing Aaron a pile of his clean, neat clothes – sometimes Robert even ironed them for him. Robert knew it was soppy and silly, but it was just another way of taking care of his man. He knew how lucky he was to be back here again after all those months on the outside. He’d never dared hope that they’d be together, with Liv and Seb too.

He picked up one of Aaron’s grey tops and rubbed the soft material between his thumb and fingers. He thought of how good Aaron looked when he wore this – it really accentuated his biceps and he looked so hot… Robert grinned to himself at the image as he pegged the top onto the washing line.

He picked up the next item from the basket, and froze, his mood changing abruptly. It was a pale blue shirt, but it wasn’t one of his. It wasn’t Aaron’s either, and he knew Gerry didn’t own any smart shirts. 

It must belong to Alex. 

Robert stood holding the shirt as an image appeared in his head of Aaron’s ex, tall, good-looking, perfect, leaning in to kiss a smiling Aaron. 

‘Robert? What are you doing out here?’ Aaron wandered into the garden, back from work for lunch. He walked up to Robert and wrapped his arms around his waist, resting his head on Robert’s shoulder. 

‘My domestic househusband,’ Aaron grinned. ‘Don’t pretend you don’t love all this, I know you do.’

Robert tried to laugh, but the sound got stuck in his throat. Aaron let go of him and stepped in from of Robert, facing him. 

‘Hey, what’s wrong?’ he said softly. 

Robert didn’t want to bring Aaron down with his stupid insecurities, but they had promised to be honest about everything now, and besides, judging by the expression on his face, Aaron had recognised the shirt still in Robert’s hands.

‘Oh…’ Aaron said. ‘Was that Alex’s?’

Robert nodded. He looked at Aaron and smiled. He knew he was being stupid, and making a big deal out of nothing.

‘He must have forgotten it when he picked his stuff up,’ he said, trying to sound matter-of-fact. ‘It was in the washing pile. I didn’t….’

Robert ran out of words and swallowed hard. 

‘What’s wrong?’ Aaron asked, rubbing Robert’s arm gently. ‘Be honest with me, please Robert.’

Robert sighed. ‘I don’t know, I’m being ridiculous… it just reminded me of the weeks when you were with him… seeing you two around the village, it was hard. I hated knowing how much better he was for you than I could be, thinking there was no way back for us and that was all my own fault… it’s brought back bad memories, that’s all.’

He dropped the shirt back in the basket and made to step away, but Aaron pulled him firmly into a hug, rubbing Robert’s back soothingly. Robert put his arms round Aaron as he buried his head in Aaron’s neck and breathed him in. It comforted and steadied him.

‘It’s not ridiculous,’ Aaron said after a while, and he pulled back and looked Robert in the eye. ‘But you know, don’t you… you know I love you. Alex could never be better for me than you, he was just a distraction. You and me, Robert… we were always going to be together. You’re my Mr Dingle…’

Robert huffed out a laugh. ‘I know…’ he mumbled, pulling Aaron back into a hug. ‘…Mr Sugden…’

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this today when I was supposed to be working, so I hope someone likes it!


End file.
